Flexible coupling for shafts



Au 22, 1939. H, H, BERRYMAN 2,170,627

FLEXIBLE COUPLING FOR SHAFTS Filed April 4, 1938 Patented Aug. 22, 1 939 d UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 FLEXIBLE COUPLING FOR SHAFTS Harry H. Berryman, Chicago, Ill. Application April 4, 1938, Serial No. 199311 2 Claims.

An object of this invention is to provide a simple and efficient coupling for shafts which are in substantially axial alignment and particularly where the power transmitted is small as in oil burners, washing machines and the like.

Heretofore, flexible couplings have been made with the resilient or yleldable element, of rubber, but for many purposes such couplings have not been used where 011 was present on one or both of the shafts because of the danger of the oil coming in contact with the rubber and disintegrating it.

Another object'therefore is to provide a flexible coupling containing rubber which will operate successfully where one or both shafts are covered'with oil.

These and other objects, as will hereinafter appear, are accomplished by this invention which is fully described in the following specification and shown in the accompanying drawing, in. which- Figure 1 is a front elevation of a coupling embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section through the same;

Figs. 3 and 4 are sections on the lines 3-3 and 4-4 respectively of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of one of the end metal bodies;

Fig. 6 is a front elevation of one of the end metal bodies with a fingered clamping member secured thereto; and

Fig. '7 is a front elevation of one of the fingered clamping members.

The flexible coupling in the embodiment illustrated comprises essentially a rubber sleeve Ill having firmly secured to its two ends aligned metal bodies H, H. Each of the bodies is accurately drilled to provide an axial opening i2 which is adapted to snugly iii; a shaft as l3, iii and to which it is clamped by means of a set screw I3. Care is taken in this instance that the hole l2 shall not go entirely through the body I I so as to prevent the flow to the interior of the coupling of any oil which may be present on either of the shafts. In this way, oil is prevented from leaking into the coupling where it could reach and destroy the sleeve l0 which preferably is composed partly or wholly of rubber.

The-body II is provided with spaced flanges I5 and I6. Any oil passing along the shaft as the coupling is rotated will reach the end of the body and will be thrown by centrifugal force out along the outer end of the body where it will be thrown away from the shaft by means of the flange I5 thereby insuring that this oil will not find its way to the rubber sleeve l0. Between these flanges is a depression I! which will ordinarily prevent any oil passing from the flange [5 to the flange l6. Should any oil, however, reach the flange l6, it too 5 will be thrown out by centrifugal force away from the shaft thereby acting as a second means for preventing oil reaching the rubber portion of the coupling.

The body I i has a reduced central portion l8 10 adapted to fit into an end of the rubber sleeve i0 and is knurled at iii to increase the friction between the reduced portion iii and the sleeve. The body is provided with a shouldered portion 20 and this is adapted to receive a clamping plate 1 2! (Fig. 7) which has a notched opening 22 adapted to fit over the shoulder, the notches 23 being preferably several in number. After assembly of this plate on the shoulder portion 20, the latter is hammered or riveted over as indi- 20 cated at 20 (Fig. 6) so as to drive some of the material of the portion 20 into the notches 23, and at the same time forcing it out firmly into engagement with the edges of the opening 22 so as to prevent rotation of the clamping plate with 25 respect to the metal body. This plate is provided with a series of fingers 24 which extend in wardly over the rubber tube id as shown at the right hand and of Fig. 2.

The fingers 24 are then bent or hammered 30 down into the position 24 as shown at the left hand end of Fig. 2 thereby firmly gripping the end of the rubber tube between these fingers and the reduced knurled portion IQ of the body.

A helical spring 25 is preferably located within the sleeve l0 during the operation of assembling the metal bodies therein and this spring is preferably placed under compression so as to urge the bodies outwardly thereby maintaining the sleeve under a slight tension. This spring serves to prevent any tendency of the sleeve tocollapse or buckle when it is subjected to a heavy torsional stress.

In actual practice, this coupling has been found to be noiseless and eflicient even when the shafts 45 to be coupled are out of alignment. Tests have shown that oil traveling along one or other of the shafts will be thrown off completely and that none of this oil will be able to pass beyond the second flange l6 and onto the rubber sleeve. 50

While I have shown and described but a single embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that it is capable of many modifications. Changes, therefore, in the construction and arrangement may be made which do not depart 55 from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A flexible coupling for shafts comprising spaced aligned metal bodies adapted to receive the ends of shafts to be coupled and having reduced portions on the facing ends, a resilient sleeve surrounding and connecting said reducedportions, and a helical spring slidably enclosed within the sleeve and under endwise compression so as to maintain the sleeve under tension and to prevent its buckling under torsion.

2. A flexible coupling for shafts comprising spaced aligned metal bodies adapted to receive the ends of shafts to be coupled, means for securing the bodies to said shafts, the bodies havins reduced facing ends, a rubber sleeve surrounding and connecting said ends, and a. helical spring under endwise compression slidably enclosed within the sleeve and having a, frictional engegement with the metal bodies tending to keep the sleeve under tension.

H. H. BERRYMAN. 

